Promises
by CourtingInsanity
Summary: Marriage law one shot. Draco eagerly awaits his bride at the altar...but she isn't as happy as he is about the arrangement. Written for Dramione Fanfiction Writer's "Troping Thursdays" on Facebook.


**Roses are red**

 **Violets are blue**

 **I don't own Harry Potter**

 **This is sad, but true**

 _ **Written for Dramione Fanfiction Writer's "Troping Thursdays" on Facebook! This week we asked writers to share their favourite tropes and then choose one to write...this is my take on the Marriage Law trope.**_

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Draco smiled as another flash went off, his eyes squinting at the bright light. He nodded at the cameraman as he shuffled off to photograph some of the guests. As his eyes readjusted, he appraised the Malfoy Manor gardens, currently full of hundreds of people he did not know.

They milled around the open lawns, some taking seats in the white chairs that had been set up for the occasion. Others stood on the sidelines in groups, whispering behind lace fans and gloved hands.

He tugged at his collar to try and allow some air into his suit, but the fabric was so stiff it hardly helped. Sweat beaded at his temples and he could feel it running down his back. He hoped he wouldn't smell too badly by the time his bride arrived; he wanted everything to be perfect today.

Well; as perfect as an arranged marriage could be.

He sighed and checked his watch. His soon-to-be-wife had given him the Muggle timepiece as a wedding present; apparently it was tradition, to swap gifts prior to actually getting married.

He had thought the gift of her was enough.

When the Ministry had announced that they would be enforcing a Marriage Law which would affect British witches and wizards aged 25-40, Draco had argued vehemently against it. When he'd been told that the Ministry would also be choosing the pairings, he'd been ready to start a rebellion. But when a small barn owl had arrived with his future wife's name written in elegant purple script, all the fight had left him.

 _Hermione Granger._

Of all the eligible bachelors, he was the lucky one who was due to be wed to the Golden Girl. He had always been intrigued by her, despite his lack of elegance when he was a boy. He had dreamt about her inappropriately as a smarmy teenager. And he had admired her from afar as an adult, post-war.

They hadn't been afforded too long to get to know each other before the wedding; only a month. It had only taken him that long to fall in love with her; but he knew that for her, this arranged marriage was nothing less than a slap in the face after all she and her friends had fought for and sacrificed.

Lost in his reverie, Draco had not realised that the crowd had organised themselves either into seats, or standing positions around the outskirts of the podium. He jumped slightly as the band began to play an upbeat wedding march, and the guests all stood.

Draco clasped his left wrist in his right hand and stood straighter. From the raised platform, he had the perfect view of the bridal party procession.

Hermione had vetoed most traditions that would mark this as a wedding party, rather than just a marriage ceremony, but she had allowed Ginny Weasley to talk her into having a bridesmaid.

Potter's wife was making her way down the aisle now, carrying a small bouquet of white and blue flowers. Her dress was satin, the same blue colour as the flowers, and cut off just below the knee. She offered Draco an encouraging smile as she stood slightly across from him.

He nodded in response, but quickly looked back towards the Manor, where he could now see Hermione making her way towards him. She was carrying a bouquet of all white flowers, which matched her dress. It was a simple A-line, but it hugged her in all the right places; Draco thought she looked like a princess.

Next to her walked Arthur Weasley. The genial man smiled easily at the crowd as he supported Hermione down towards her future husband…or indeed, simply her future. Draco's eyes locked on to the brown orbs of his fiancée. While his were bright with the prospect of spending the rest of his life with such an amazing woman, hers were glassy with unshed tears.

His heart ached in his chest and he had to fight the urge to clasp a hand over where it was beating erratically. Instead, he offered her a small smile which she did not – or maybe could not – return.

In another Universe, perhaps in one where Draco had actually courted her before asking her to be his wife, Hermione's attempt at reining in her emotions could have been dismissed as just that; an overwhelmed bride who could not believe how lucky she was today.

Unfortunately, that would never be the case.

Hermione saw this day as the sealing of her fate in the worst way possible; married to her schoolyard bully, and ex-Death Eater. She'd spent her life either trying to prove herself worthy of standing next to people like him, or fighting against them for basic human rights.

The blond felt his breath catch in his throat as a lone tear escaped and rolled down Hermione's cheek. She came to a stop in front of him and averted her eyes, looking instead at the small wizard with a shock of white hair who would be performing the ceremony. In that moment, Draco felt his heart break.

"We are gathered here today…" the wizard squeaked. Draco tuned him out.

He knew he would never deserve the witch standing in front of him. As he took her hands in his and recited his vows, he allowed his expression to convey that he meant them; a futile attempt to let her know that all was not lost - she hadn't lost with him.

And she wouldn't. Not if he could help it.


End file.
